Multiple WWE Stars "Out Indefinitely" - WWE Forced To Change Plans
You might not be seeing WWE stars Bronson Reed, Jimmy Uso or Tonga Loa wrestle for a while.
WWE's lead play by play man Michael Cole revealed on Friday's episode of SmackDown that three stars will be "out indefinitely" following events at Survivor Series: WarGames. Bronson Reed, Jimmy Uso and Tonga Loa have all been benched by serious injuries.
Those keeping score at home will notice that this means Solo Sikoa's version of The Bloodline is down two members for the foreseeable future. This week's blue brand action saw Solo, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga attack the likes of Apollo Crews, LA Knight and Andrade. All three also had a staredown with new United States Champ and fellow heel Shinsuke Nakamura, but he dribbled some black mist then skulked away before things got physical.
Reed's injury looks to be the worst long-term. He suffered a broken ankle/foot when performing a splash off the top of the WarGames cage through a table. Similarly, Uso has a broken toe after hitting his own splash through another table. Meanwhile, Loa's torn bicep was attributed to numerous stiff shots from CM Punk with a metal toolbox.
Footage of Bronson's injury, in particular, was pretty gruesome and should be avoided by those who are squeamish about these things. WWE aired it (complete with highlights focusing on each affected body part) as Cole gave his speech to fans watching at home.
PWInsider reported that Reed will undergo surgery imminently, but there's no timescale on returns for any of the stricken trio.
Reed's Injury Forced Drew McIntyre's Early Return
The website's write up also confirmed that Drew McIntyre's own comeback on Raw was earlier than planned. He's been drafted back in pronto as a direct result of Bronson going down at Survivor Series. There's no word yet on exactly when the Scot was originally slated to launch his return to TV before plans changed.
Reed had been scheduled to work vs. Seth Rollins in steel cage matches across WWE's festive house show loops, but the old 'card subject to change' trick will be played there. He's out, and that means the company will need to find a replacement opponent for Seth. Perhaps Drew will step into the breach.
Fingers crossed all three injured WWE stars recover as quickly as possible. WrestleMania 41 season is almost here, so it'd be rotten if anybody had to miss out on that excitement. Here's hoping Reed, Uso and Loa are all back in action by the time April's weekender rolls around, but nothing is guaranteed at time of writing.
Stay tuned for more information on the estimated timescale of these injuries when it breaks.